1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to amusement vehicles such as bumper cars. More specifically, this invention relates to a bumper car which is human-powered and which is adapted for stable, not-tipping performance upon impact with other bumper cars and surfaces. The invented design provides a stable and safe bumper car, maneuverable by the driver's feet.
2. Related Art
One and two-person bumper cars have been designed for carnivals and other amusement centers. Many of the bumper cars seen at carnivals operate on an electrically-conductive floor underneath an electrically-conductive ceiling, by means of an electric motor and drive wheels. Other bumper cars are gas-powered, with combustion-engine-powered wheels or tracks. A popular design is to include a blower that creates an air "cushion" underneath the car, in order to give a feeling of floating and to reduce the frictional resistence to movement of the car. The conventional bumper car, therefore, is a motorized vehicle, with the driver typically steering the vehicle by means of a hand-operated steering wheel and accelerating the vehicle by means of a motorcycle-style hand-grip or an automobile-style foot-pedal. The occupant(s) of conventional bumper cars sit inside the car without contacting anything outside the car, and, especially, without contacting the floor or other surface upon which the car operates.
Conventional bumper cars feature a bumper that is low-to-the-ground, and a chair that is high up above the bumper. Typically, the bumper is about a 2-6 inch thick rubber pad surrounding the base of the car, that is, the structure that rests on or within an inch or two of the floor or ground. The chair or other seating for the occupant(s) typically sits well above the padded base of the car, to leave room between the occupant and the base of the car for the motor and other drive equipment. Thus, the horizontal seat is typically 11/2-3 feet above the bottom of the car, and leaving room for the occupant'(s) legs and feet above a passenger compartment floor, and leaving room under the compartment floor to house the motor and drive equipment. Therefore, many conventional bumper cars have a structure that may be likened to a chair or car sitting on top of a thick pad or cushion or on top of a thick padded platform. See, for example, Eyerly (U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,301, issued Apr. 13, 1982) and Reverchon (U.S. Pat. No. Design 250,550 and Design Pat. No. 267,185). Eyerly shows a low-to-the-floor bumper supporting a high-sitting chair. Reverchon discloses bumper car designs reminiscent of personal water-craft or snowmobile bodies sitting on top of pads. Therefore, it may be said that conventional bumper cars are designed for motor-driven movement along a flat surface, with the driver steering and accelerating generally conventional vehicle controls from a seat atop the car.
Alternative styles of bumpers may be viewed in patent literature relating to infant walkers, which hold a child above the ground and protect the woodwork and walls from marring and chipping. See, for example, Danna (U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,138), Ishida (U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,756), Ku (U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,392), and Gerken (U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,242). These baby walkers feature a sling-seat for suspending the baby high in the walker, to approximate the baby standing and walking on its own. The bumpers of these walkers is only about 1-3 inches above the floor, in order to safely bump into baseboards and door jambs.
Other infant/toddler devices feature foot-powered locomotion. For example, some toddler "cars" feature an open bottom through which the child extends his/her feet to push the car around on the floor. One example is the Super Car.TM., made by Today's Kids of the U.S.A. Such toys are molded plastic, automobile-shaped bodies without any significant bumper structure. Because these toys are designed to go generally straight forward or straight backward, the wheels of these cars include at least two wheels which only rotate on their axles, but do not swivel in castor-style.
What is still needed is an amusing bumper car for adults and teenagers. What is needed is a bumper car that is allows the driver to be more in-control of the car and to feel more like a player or combatant in a game, rather than a relatively passive rider on a carnival ride. What is still needed is a safe and enviromnentally-friendly bumper car that may be operated in many venues, such as mall parking lots, charity and school festivals, and small-business environments, without fear of accidents during set-up or operation.